Bureau of Meteorology regional director Rob Webb says they are getting few clues to the season ahead under the neutral conditions and says even global climate conditions and sea surface temperatures are providing little insight.

"Given that the El Nino - Southern Oscillation isn't pointing us in any direction we are just telling people to anticipate a typical summer and that normally means a rapid increase in the development of our cyclone activity through the back end of the year into the first three months of the year," he said.

Cyclones

The peak months for cyclone activity are January, February and March and an average year will bring four cyclones to Queensland waters.

Cyclones have been known to form as early as November but are unlikely to cross the coast that early in the season says Mr Webb who advises all Queenslanders to prepare for storm season.

"And remembering that we have had cyclones plunge all the way down to the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast over our history," he said.

At this stage the weather bureau is unable to give an indication as to the severity of the cyclones that may come this year.

Storms and rain

Without the El Nino and La Nina climate drivers dominating, a typical thunderstorm season is forecast this year with an increase in activity between October and December.

"There doesn't seem to be too much pointing towards drought-breaking rains out in that part of the world, but along the coastal areas we would still expect a typical summer," he said.

Mr Webb warns people not to become complacent about storms or monsoon depressions which may not seem as threatening as a cyclone but can be just as damaging.

"We saw last year with tropical cyclone Oswald which was a category one for just six or 10 hours... but it did all its damage as a rain depression and that was a timely reminder that it doesn't need to have a 'tropical cyclone' in front of it to be a damaging storm," he said.

A hot summer

Queenslanders can expect a hot summer with the record breaking heat of the past few months likely to continue.

Queensland has experienced its warmest year on record so far says Mr Webb.

"It does seem like there will be a continuation of these hot conditions we have just seen record after record break," he said.

Mr Webb says forecasters are "upbeat" about the timely development of the monsoon this year which was three weeks late last year.

"Hopefully as that comes south we see a little bit more of the rainfall (a return to some rainfall) but it really is too early to say whether we will get widespread flooding or anything like that, we think that is unlikely," he said.